Alberta’s top baby names of 2018 announced, Report

Olivia was the most popular girls’ name in the province in 2018, while Liam took the top spot for boys.

Overall, the province says 50,104 babies were born last year; 25,717 of those were boys, while 24,387 were girls.

Liam knocked Noah out of the top spot as most popular in the province. Oliver was the second most popular, pushing Noah down to third place.

For girls, Emma and Charlotte were also very popular taking second and third position, respectively.
There were also some very unique names last year, with influences from pop culture.

Loki, Thanos, and Captain were some of the names inspired from Marvel movies, as were Kylo, Leia, and Anakin from the Star Wars franchise.

“It’s kind of a big deal. Big for parents, big for the child (and) sometimes just very big,” Premier Rachel Notley said. “Like the child named Jupiter. Maybe after the largest planet in our solar system. Or even bigger; the young Albertan this year who was named Galaxy.”

Another parent named their child Moon, while some parents also named their kids after places like Ireland, Chicago, and Venice.

“From Olivia to Captain, from Liam to Chicago and hopefully this year an adorable little tot who might possibly be named Trans Mountain,” Notley joked.

Biblical references and gemstones also played a part in the naming process.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Amethyst, Sapphire, Onyx and Diamond were some of the names chosen.

The province also said more parents used a midwife to help with the process.

Almost 3,600 parents received support which is up from 2,400 three years ago.

Notley called them “essential and valued health professionals who help women make the health choice that’s right for them. That’s why I’m so proud that more people in more communities have access to your expertise.”

“We have seen more than a 30 per cent increase in the number of midwife-assisted births over the last two years.”

Here is a list of the most common names over the past three years:

Place

Boy Names (2018)

Boy Names (2017)

Boy Names (2016)

1

Liam (225)

Noah (250)

Liam (277)

2

Oliver (212)

Liam (244)

Benjamin (252)

3

Noah (199)

Benjamin (229)

Lucas (247)

4

Ethan (188)

Logan (226)

Oliver (230)

5

Logan (182)Lucas (182)

Lucas (216)

Noah (228)

6

Jacob (181)

William (213)

William (213)

7

William (178)

Ethan (192)

Ethan (205)

8

Benjamin (176)

Oliver (190)

Jack (197)

9

Jack (167)

Jack (189)

Lincoln (192)

10

Alexander (158)James (158)

Jacob (178)

Owen (189)

Alberta’s top baby boy names

(In brackets is the number of children with each name)

Place

Girl Names (2018)

Girl Names (2017)

Girl Names (2016)

1

Olivia (235)

Olivia (236)

Olivia (292)

2

Emma (230)

Emma (215)

Emma (249)

3

Charlotte (175)

Charlotte (187)

Sophia (215)

4

Emily (164)

Ava (184)Sophia (184)

Ava (207)

5

Ava (161)

Emily (159)

Emily (187)

6

Abigail (153)

Abigail (154)

Charlotte (180)

7

Harper (150)

Amelia (149)

Amelia (172)

8

Sophia (146)

Isabella (141)

Abigail (171)

9

Amelia (145)

Aria (129)Chloe (129)

Chloe (166)

10

Elizabeth (130)

Lily (127)

Aria (137)

The Alberta government has a full list of both the boys’ names and girls’ names on its website.

“I have to say when my husband and I named our kids, it was about a seven-month negotiating process. So having this online access to what’s popular makes it a little bit easier,” Notley added.